The Perception of Emotion by Schizophrenic Patients

Abstract

Studies which have examined the perception of emotion by schizophrenic patients have produced conflicting results, an outcome which may, in part, be due to difficulties in presenting a realistic portrayal of emotion. This study exposed 32 schizophrenic patients in remission and ten controls to five videotaped scenes of emotional situations played by actors. The schizophrenic patients were divided into three groups, namely those living with high-EE relatives, those living with low-EE relatives and those living alone, in order to test the hypothesis that patients in a high-EE environment are less able to identify emotionally charged situations. Measures of electrodermal activity and self-ratings of tension were recorded concomitantly. The schizophrenic patients in all groups were as adept at identifying emotions as were the controls. There was no difference between the groups in electrodermal activity and subjective tension for all video scenes, except for the one which portrayed the only pleasant interaction; the high-EE group was significantly more aroused on both measures, which were independent of each other.